Coco Gauff dismantles Iva Jovic to reach quarter-finals in confident US Open run

Coco Gauff continued her serene march through the US Open women’s draw with her most complete performance yet on Monday night, seeing off fellow American Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 to reach the last eight in New York for the first time since winning it all in her grand slam breakthrough three years ago.The fourth-seeded Gauff overwhelmed Jovic with the depth of her returns and an assured blend of aggression and defense, finishing with twice as many winners (18 to nine) and half as many unforced errors (15 to 30). The 1hr 20min clinic was the latest statement in a late-summer win streak that has transformed her from a player searching for answers this time last year into perhaps the most dangerous woman remaining in the field.Next comes a delicious quarter-final clash with Mirra Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion and fifth seed, after the 19-year-old Russian came from behind to defeat Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Monday’s day session.“The biggest difference in the way I’ve been playing is just trying to play with no regrets,” Gauff said afterwards. “I think I have a lot more fun and success playing like this.”The 22-year-old arrived in New York fresh off her first title of the year in Cincinnati and had yet to drop a set throughout the first week, but Monday’s task with barely an empty seat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium represented her stiffest examination yet.Iva Jovic returns a shot against Coco Gauff during their fourth-round match at the US Open. Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPAJovic, the 18-year-old from Los Angeles seeded 14th, has been tabbed as one of the brightest prospects in US tennis since crashing the Australian Open quarter-finals in January ahead of fourth-round runs at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, which made her the youngest American to reach the second week at three majors in a season since Venus Williams in 1998. She had punched her ticket to the last 16 after a grueling three-hour win over breakout star Alexandra Eala in a Saturday night blockbuster, fighting back from 2-4 down in the deciding set to prevail 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.Gauff knew first-hand what sort of resistance to expect. Their only previous meeting on tour, at the Rome Open in May, required nearly three hours and a comeback from a set down before Gauff escaped 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 after saving a match point. “I think that experience helped me for today,” Gauff said. “I knew to expect that she was going to be at 100 from the first point to the last.”This time there was considerably less drama. After opening with a tense 11-minute exchange of breaks, Gauff never let Jovic get comfortable, taking the ball early off both wings and peeling off six straight games to take the opening set in 33 minutes.Jovic finally interrupted Gauff’s momentum in the middle of the second set, breaking for 3-2, but the fightback proved brief. Gauff broke back immediately and soon after produced her cleanest return game of the night in racing to love-40 before Jovic sent a forehand long for 5-4. Serving for the match, she rattled off four straight points from love-30, sealing the match when Jovic sent a backhand into the net.“I think I’m doing a good job of when I maybe miss opportunities or lose some games, just keeping it in the past and focusing on the present,” said Gauff, who extended streaks of nine straight victories and 20 consecutive sets won. “I don’t view it as opportunities lost sometimes. I try to just view it as what to do better and just trusting that I’ll be in the same position again.”Coco Gauff returns a shot against Iva Jovic during their fourth-round match at the US Open. Photograph: Frank Franklin II/APFor Gauff, the self-belief lifting her game is less about any one stroke than the range of solutions at her disposal. “I think that gives me confidence knowing that I have probably, up to this point, like, a plan D,” she said. “There’s comfortability in having options. If plan A doesn’t work, there’s B, there’s C and there’s D.”The contrast with Gauff’s position 12 months ago remains night and day. She entered last year’s US Open amid an emergency reconstruction of her serve before bowing out quietly against Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. Since then, her work with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan has gradually taken hold, including personal-best runs to the semi-finals at Wimbledon and in Canada before her Cincinnati triumph.The stakes extend beyond a second US Open crown and third major title. Gauff also remains in the hunt to reach the world No 1 ranking for the first time if she wins the tournament and Elena Rybakina, who overpowered Osaka to reach the quarter-finals earlier Monday, fails to win her next match. For now, the immediate order of business is Andreeva and a place in the last four. Gauff has won all five of their previous meetings, though she insisted the head-to-head ledger belies what little separates them.“Mirra is someone that I always have tough matches with,” Gauff said. “They’ve leaned my way, but I think every match could have almost gone either way. She’s obviously in a different mindset now, at the top of the game coming off of a grand slam win. I think it’s going to be a really athletic, tough match. Hopefully I can take my opportunities when I get them.”